Food fest in the Clarence Valley

THE annual celebration of all the food and wine the Valley has to offer, the Causley Gate to Plate, is officially back in 2011.

THE annual celebration of all the food and wine the Valley has to offer, the Causley Gate to Plate, is officially back in 2011.

The dates have been set and a special celebrity guest, as well as a Gold Sponsor, has been secured by the Gallery Foundation to make this year's fundraising effort extra special.

For the second consecutive year, Causley Fresh has put in their gold sponsorship, with owner Karl Causley happy to support the sense of community the event provides.

“In essence, we choose to make this commitment because of the sense of community this kind of event generates – by bringing people together over a good feed and celebrating what the local area has to offer,” he said.

“The concept of the Gate to Plate reminds me of the rich tradition I experienced growing up in Chatsworth Island. In the village, everyone had their own veggie patch and every mum their own signature dish. We would get together in a backyard, everyone would bring a plate, and we would eat as much as we liked of the freshest food the area had to offer.

“This area has a rich agricultural tradition and at Causley Fresh we believe it should be recognised and celebrated, and the Gate to Plate is a grown up version of what was so normal for me to do as a child.”

The weekend of good company, great wine and better than ever local food will go ahead on September 10 and 11. It will include Simon Thompson, a massive name in the culinary world. Chefs across Australia quiver when he walks into a restaurant, having created many careers through his critiques in The Daily Telegraph and as a past editor of the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, a bible for foodies across NSW. He has been on television recently as an Iron Chef judge and on MasterChef Australia.

As judging food is what Simon does best, his services have been enlisted in what is set to be the highlight of the 2011 Gate to Plate Market, a Clarence Celebrity Cook-off.

During this part of the Causley Fresh Gate to Plate, sponsors will compete against other local businesses in the kitchen and a winner will be chosen by Mr Thompson.

Making the market portion of the celebration continually bigger and better, a special focus on children and their food experiences is being organised by event co-ordinator Judy Hackett with many fun events planned around local food and just how good it can be.

Sponsorship proposals are available from g2p@thegalleryfoundation.com.au or by phoning Lisa Dougherty on 66423418.

Keep an eye out for tickets to the degustation lunch, which go on sale in future editions of The Daily Examiner.